ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SALIVARY BIOMARKERS AND CARIES RISK ASSESSMENT IN ADULTS: A CLINICAL OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background.Dental caries remains a highly prevalent chronic disease among adults worldwide and continues to represent a major challenge for preventive dentistry. Conventional caries risk assessment models rely primarily on clinical indices and patient-reported factors, which may not fully reflect the underlying biological processes associated with caries initiation and progression. Saliva plays a crucial protective role in maintaining oral homeostasis through buffering capacity, mineral content, and antimicrobial activity. Therefore, salivary biomarkers have gained increasing attention as potential objective indicators for individualized caries risk assessment.